ONE of the best restaurants in Cagayan de Oro that offers Filipino comfort food has recently opened its second branch in the city's uptown area.
Mykarelli's Grill, name derived from the combination of the names of the owners' two daughters: Julia Myka and Jiana Marelli Acapulco, is a homegrown Pinoy restaurant that offers well-known Filipino food, from the fan-favorite Chicken Inasal to no-pork dishes like the Pasayan and Panga.
"Mykarreli's offer Filipino comfort food, pagkaong sariling atin, lutong bahay," Mags Acapulco, one of the owners of Mykarelli's, said.
According to Mags, the restaurant had several branches in Cagayan de Oro prior to the Covid pandemic.
Mags shared that when the pandemic happened, they had to close all branches except for the main restaurant located in JR Borja extension.
"Karon nag reopen ta balik dinhi sa uptown and hopefully tuloy-tuloy na ang atong pag open na pud sa laing mga areas," Mags said.
"This is our second branch after the pandemic," she added.
Since Mykarelli's was often visited by families and barkadas, it designed its menu selection to feed more than two persons. One such example is its Budol set, which could cater to six to eight people.
"Para di na sad maglisod ang mga customers na magpili. Group of people ... usually six and up [ang mobisita], that's why naka come up ko with the Budol Set and Bilao na good for three to five persons," Mags said.
Mags herself recommended their No Pork Budol and Porkest Best Budol. The former consists of their savory chicken inasal, pasayan in sesame oil, tuna belly and panga; while the latter consists of their sizzling sisig, pork barbeque and crispy pata.
"Katong dili mokaon og pork, naa tay choices na walay pork ug katong ganahan og pork, naa pud tay choices nga puro pork," Mags said.
The two sets also come with rice and a pitcher of iced tea or cucumber lemonade.
For people who love desserts, Mags also recommended their mango tapioca, buko halo-halo, and mais con yelo. But if you want cakes, Mykarelli's uptown branch also has a small corner cafe area where you could enjoy the pastries and cassava made by Sweet Cravings by Mags.
Future of Mykarelli's Grill
As mentioned above, Mykarelli's Grill had several branches before the pandemic. In fact, they were supposed to open a branch in Davao if the said health crisis did not occur, according to Mags.
"Kung wala nag pandemic maybe naa na tay Davao karon. We really thought of it, that's our future plan," Mags said.
However, before she pursue her plans to open a branch outside Cagayan de Oro, Mags said she will establish first branches located away from the city proper, particularly the area going to Barangay Puerto and another in the area going Opol town in Misamis Oriental.